


Love, Blood, and Two Stubborn Fools

by Sapphiremoonlight1



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: AU, Angst, Blood, Hanahaki Disease, M/M, canon typical nonsense, surprisingly not alot of flowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 01:01:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29341737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sapphiremoonlight1/pseuds/Sapphiremoonlight1
Summary: “I'm literally going to die because the person I love is a complete idiot,” Yusaku sighs.“....Love! You love me?!”“I'm pretty sure I just said that,” Yusaku replies with an annoyed twitch.
Relationships: Ai | Ignis/Fujiki Yuusaku
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	Love, Blood, and Two Stubborn Fools

**Author's Note:**

> This started kind of venty and went in an unexpected direction but hey it works =) I also have no idea what to title this so open to suggestions lol

A human can't develop feelings for a program can they? And vice verse right? Sure he's seen his fair share of the activities some humans do with their Soltis but none of them really want the same connection with the AI that they have with one another. That's what Ai tries to tell himself after he leaves Yusaku. He didn't want to go, but he needed some time after watching all of the other Ignis get deleted. But he couldn't stop himself from checking in every now and then. He still cared deeply about his awkward partner.

Unfortunately, It seems while he was gone whatever ailment Yusaku had before the fight with Bowman started getting worse. Of course Ai's concern over his physical wellbeing got brushed off the few times he'd asked if Yusaku was alright. He'd given Ai a dozen different explanations for his symptoms but refused to give him a straight answer.

Ai in all his super intelligent capabilities came up with a hundred different possibilities for what it could be but apparently they were all wrong. Yusaku always told him that he was wrong before continuing on coughing.

Now it appears like he's coughing up blood every time he hunches over like he used to. It worried Ai to no end knowing the stubborn mule would rather spend his time looking for him rather than taking care of himself.

Hell it looked like whatever it is was starting to have an effect on Playmaker too. Him and his copy barely got through the duel without the copy yelling at him to take the idiot to the doctor himself! It's not like he wasn't tempted to say screw his plans, Yusaku's health comes first! Yusaku's the whole reason he's doing this in the first place. He can't stop his long-term plans for something so achingly momentary.

So Ai waits for the time to come when he and Playmaker face off for real. The part of him that fell way too far for his partner anxious to see if he'd even make it to the damn warehouse in one piece. Okay, that's a lie even the smallest part of him loves Yusaku completely. It's why he has to end his existence like this.

Though it doesn't look like it's going to go exactly as he planned. Sure Yusaku makes it inside the warehouse in one piece but collapses before Ai can turn on the lights he'd spent so much time wiring up. Damn it! Ai wanted to see the look on his face when he saw the welcome sign. Some much for the fanfare.

“Yusaku!”

Instead, he jumps off the elevator before it reaches the ground and flies over to the cough lump. Even when he's bent over and pouring out an alarming amount of blood Yusaku has the spunk to glare at him! Some things never change.

“Ai stop,” Yusaku says.

Despite the daggers Ai tries gathering up Yusaku so he could pick him up but he shoves Ai back. Or tries to at least. Can't really put a lot of force in when your energy is being used up keeping you alive. Ai stops trying to move him but keeps a hold of him away.

“Ai stop, please,” Yusaku repeats trying to plead with him. Not sure if he's asking him to stop prodding him or stop his plans, Ai keeps running though as many vital sign checks he can manage in person. Why are humans so fragile?! There's not a lot he can do here.

“Stop what? Making sure you're not about to bleed out all over me? Why are so averse to letting people help you?!” Ai replies and Yusaku glares at him looking completely worn out.

“I could ask you the same thing. Come home and let me help you figure out whatever is that's driven you this far.”

“How are you so calm about this?” Ai asks, and Yusaku gives him a half smile.

“I'll be fine once you agree to come back with me.”

“Okay there's definitely something wrong with you! You're starting to sound like one of those drama characters who think romance is going to magically save them!” Ai yells thinking the whole situation is a little close to the simulations he'd live through already. This can't be happening right now!

“I'm literally going to die because the person I love is a complete idiot. It's not magic,” Yusaku explains hacking up a few little red stained objects Ai couldn't identify. They didn't matter once what he said finishes processing.

“.... _Love _! You love me?!”__

____

____

“I'm pretty sure I just said that,” Yusaku replies with a slightly annoyed twitch.

“But you can't! You can't! Humans don't love programs like me! You're just attracted to the Soltis!” Ai yells hitting the limit on what he can take. It's hard enough for him to keep current. _I loved you _. He'd confessed in the simulations too right after being shot for protecting him. Trying to avoid thinking about that Ai tries spinning into a different direction. A human can't love a monster, can they?__

____

____

“Ai that's not true! I've been sick longer then you've had that stupid thing,” Yusaku points out without hesitation. Sure he's been ill longer than he's had this Soltis but has nothing to do with any of this? Let alone his feelings for him.

“No! You can't love me. It's not supposed to be this way! You're supposed to come here and stop me.” Ai shrieks jumping to his feet “But you're in no condition to that. Argh!”

“If that's what it's going to take to get you to come to sense then fine, Into the Vrains,” Yusaku says, calmly activating his duel disk. As calm as someone half conscious can be.

“Yusaku! Wait!” Ai calls too late. Yusaku slumps over unconscious before he can move. Ai walks over and repositions him so he'll be more comfortable before logging in after him.

“Oi Playmaker do you have to be so reckless?! He shouts when finishes loading into the duel field. Had his opponent been in better shape it would have been the perfect setting.

“I wouldn't have to be if you'd just believe me!” Playmaker shouts back barely on his feet. A strong enough gust from the data storm and he'd fall over like a leaf.

“Love me now?” Ai asks shifting to his more monstrous form hoping it will end the conversation here. There's no way he could love a real monster. Then again.

“I really am going to die because you're a fucking idiot,” Playmaker replies slapping his forehead with his hand. He moves his hand and glares at Ai “Yes! I have for awhile.”

“Playmaker..,” Ai starts but Playmaker cuts him off.

“No I'm not finished! I'm fucking dying yet you still refuse to believe I could have feeling for you?!”

“I don't,” Ai began trying to figure out what connection Playmaker's trying to make with his health and his feelings. Before he can find one Playmaker's legs buckle along with the rest of him. He crumps onto the ground in a motionless heap. Once the shock of watching him collapse a second time wears off Ai rushes to check on him. “Play-Yusaku!”

When he doesn't immediately get a response, Ai logs them out. Back in the physical world he tries in vain to wake him but after about a minute of him not getting any kind of reaction he gathers up Yusaku and runs for the nearest hospital. The great thing about being an AI is he doesn't have to stop for direction! He does however get a lot of strange looks from the people he rushes passed.

The bad part, however, is the poor nurses who have to try to keep him from trying to follow Yusaku into the emergency room. They aren't adapted to dealing with panicking Soltis and are way out of their depth until someone told him he can wait in the patient's room.

“It looks like your master is suffering from the end stages of hanahaki. At this point we there's not much we can do for him now without whoever it is he caught it for. ”The doctor says walking into the room to check on his patient. He notes something on his clipboard and nodes his head.

“I see. Thank you doctor,” Ai replies trying to be polite. It's been a long day, but he's not in the mood to deal with one of those people. He side eyes the doctor until he leaves the room. When the door finally clicks shut Ai stops to search for what hahanaki is.

Disease of unknown origin known to inflict those who have strong unrequired or unconfessed feelings of love for someone. It's known to cause the development of flowers in the lungs of the individual inflicted that growing increasing severe until it causes them to suffocate. After scrolling through a couple of images included in the articles Ai put his new research to the back of his mind. He didn't want to see any more horrible pictures of flowers sprouting out of people. Memories of bullet wounds are enough for him. 

Horrified at what he's put Yusaku through he turns back to unconscious form next to and begins rambling out apologizes, “I'm sorry. It wasn't supposed to be this way. You weren't supposed to love me back. I'm nothing more than some zeros and ones....zeros and ones that always seem to hurt you.”

He leans over the bed and does something he'd been dreaming of doing since he created his human form. Ai captures Yusaku's lips for a momentary kiss before continuing. “I love you too. I'm sorry. ”Something tugs at his hair before he can keep muttering to what he thought was to himself. “Eh? Yusaku?”

Ai withdraws back a bit to get a look at the weak smile on the other's face and some of Ai's hair curled loosely around his hand.“You know it's not as soft as your eel form is.”

“Eel! Here I am trying to be all serious and you call me an eel!” Ai shrieks in surprise at the audacity he has to say such a thing! His hair is probably softer than a certain someone's!

Yusaku moves over and gestures for him to scoot in next to him. “It's part of my charm, don't expect that to change anytime soon.”

Ai's more than happy to take up the offer to lay down next to him but can't keep the worry off his face apparently. Yusaku picks up on something and asks, “what is it?”

“Nothing! ”Ai answers too quickly and Yusaku gives him an annoyed look.

“Ai please don't lie to me,” Yusaku says tugging at his hair again.“ You're a bad liar,”

“It's nothing really. Let's just enjoy your recovery,” Ai replies wanting nothing more than to stay curled up. Basking in the belief that they were okay at least for the moment. Is a few minutes of peace is too much to ask?

“Tell me,” Yusaku insists and locks their hands together tightly as he can. While he might be awake, he certainly doesn't have it in him to keep Ai from moving. Even if he was up to full strength, he'd be no match for him. Ai can get up now and leave, and he wouldn't be able to do much about it. But Ai doesn't want to move from this spot next to him.

Ai sighs and tries coming up with a way to explain his plan in a delicate manner. He doesn't want to stress Yusaku out anymore then he already is. “Alright fine. You might be getting better, but I'm not...”

His partner tilts his head confused, “what?”

“I told you it wasn't supposed to be like this. You fell apart before I could show you my other copies. That poor old woman worked so hard on their costumes too!” Ai says stopping to wonder what happened to that lady. She'd been so sweet in making all the costumes for his copies. It's not a good time to get side tracked like that. Especially with Yusaku glaring at him, so Ai continues.

“Anyway my plan is to allow a bunch of Ai copies loose. If I won our match they'd go about becoming their own beings but if I lost I'd be deleted and their creation would stop.”

“If we don't duel?” Yusaku asks, and he has to glance away. It's a lot harder to admit this in such an intimate situation then it would have been across a duel field. Yusaku wont let him, he uses his free hand to make sure their eyes meet.

“My copy create program will rip apart my free will to give life to those copies,” Ai admits, burying his head in Yusaku's shoulder because he can't stand the heartbreak coloring those beautiful green eyes.

“Ai what does that mean?” Yusaku asks, punctuating each of the words.

“It means I won't exist anymore in a few days at least not as spectacular AI you know. I always knew you'd come to stop me. I just wasn't sure when with your increasingly bad condition how things would go but now,” Ai replies refusing to look up. He can feel Yusaku resting his head on top of him and his fingers start to play around with Ai’s unsure of what to do next. .

The door clicks open and the doctor stomps in, "I see,” he says and Ai glances over to see him staring at them in barely concealed contempt. “In any case I'll be sending a nurse soon to run some tests. In the meantime we’d appreciate it if you keep from any unsavory behavior while inside the hospital.”

Realizing he isn't going to get a reply the doctor steps out of the room without another word to either of them.

Yusaku lifts his head to glare at the retreating figure before turning back to Ai. “I'm not going to duel you, so there has to be another way to stop that program,”

Ai answers him as honestly as he can,“ There isn't I designed it so I can't change it. I didn't want to have a change of heart part way through. It has to be this way.”

“Why? What's so bad that you wanted me to choose how you die?” Yusaku asks, giving his hand a squeeze. It's hard to mistake the wounded note underneath his sincerity.

“Lightning left me a gift. Life spanning simulations that have the world falling into chaos and destruction just because of me. You're not spared that fate either! I've watched you die thousands of times. I can't let that be real! I just can't! ”Ai replies, getting increasingly louder as he goes on and squeezing back tighter than he should be but can’t help it. He needs some reassurance that Yusaku was really there and he isn't in another simulation that's going to end horribly for them both.

As he's listening to his heartbeat Yusaku starts talking “the chances of developing a severe case of cardiomyopathy increases after someone's had hanahaki.”

“What does that?” Ai starts to ask before searching the term himself and finding the answer Yusaku obviously wanted him to come to. “Oh, broken heart syndrome.” Of course he wouldn't bring up something completely off topic.

“So I'm going to suffer and die because of my feelings for you either way then, great,” Yusaku says, sinking back into the bed and sighing.

“That's not fair! You don't get to put that on me like that!” Ai shouts pulling himself up. It's not fair. None of this is fair! Why doesn't one of them always have to suffer?

“You don't get to use me as an excuse either!” Yusaku snaps back before slumping back down again. “This is a mess.”

“Yeah,” Ai replies, shifting around so they're curled up together again. His attempt to have a peaceful moment is ruined as soon as he grabs Yusaku's hand.

“Yusaku!-Ai?” Kusanagi questions barging into the room and stopping in place when he spots him on the bed too. Not that he can blame him, but way to ruin the moment! Though it really wasn't much of one to begin with but some time alone would be nice!

“Hey Hotdog man how's it going?” Ai greets giving him a wave. It's too easy for him to slip back into his old goofy self. He doubts keeping up the antagonistic act will go over well especially when Yusaku will call him out for it as soon as he tries. Plus it's easier than acknowledging how absolutely miserable he feels. Their life is a mess, and he could use a bit of normal for a few minutes after the last few hours he's had.

“Really?” Yusaku says looking over at him with his usual unamused stare. Of course he'd pick up on the act insistently. It makes Ai's lips twitch up a bit seeing him the slightest tinge back to normal.

“What? It's part of my charm, don't expect me to change now,” He replies hoping to bait Yusaku with the rephrasing of his own words before directing his attention back to Kusanagi. “What brings you by this lovely evening?”

“Ai,” Yusaku sighs in exasperation.

“The hospital called and said Yusaku was in critical condition so I came as fast as I could...What the fuck are you doing here Ai!? Last I checked you'd turned your back on everyone including Yusaku.” Kusanagi replies about ready to murder him for everting he's done the last few weeks. Ai can't blame him, but they are in a hospital, that should count for something right?

“Okay that's true but Mr. I refuse to ask for help, collapsed before we could get into it so I brought him here myself,” He explains, trying not to think too much about what happened. Then it hit him he's still in blood stained clothes from earlier. He probably looks like a ax murder from the man's point of view. So he decides commenting about the hospital's treatment of him will steer things in a different direction. “Guess they didn't think an android counted as next of kin huh?”

Yusaku, being clueless about any form of subtle social cue doesn't get the hint and charges right on with their previous conversation. “Why don't you let Kusanagi take a look at that program? I'm in no shape to do it myself, and you said you can't change it.”

“What program?” The vendor asks but they both ignore him.

“And let him look at my private parts! The indecency!” Ai shrieks pretending to cover himself up. He really doesn't want to go through the weird invasion of his privacy again. He might be a program but come on!

Always the voice of reason between them Yusaku replies. "But he could find a way to stop or at least delay it until I'm better. Unless you really want things to end this way?”

“I-” Ai stumbles over his response. Does he want it to be this way?

“Someone mind filling me in on what exactly you're talking about me doing?” Kusanagi demands getting tired of being left out of a conversation involving him. What insanity have they gotten themselves stuck in now?

“I'm talking about keeping Ai from offing himself,” Yusaku says flatly. He gives Ai's hand a squeeze again and seems to try to communicate something to him nonverbally that Ai doesn't get.

“When you put it like that,” Ai replies, put off by the blatant oversimplification of everything. He gets that Yusaku is obviously still angry about his solution to the simulation problem but he doesn't have to phrase it like that!

“I'm confused, isn't his plan to end humanity? What about everyone he took?” Kusanagi asks either avoiding the tension between them or not picking up on it at all. Ai's not sure which is better at this point, but he follows Yusaku's lead in brushing over his plan broadly.

“A means to an end, my end to be exact.” Ai starts rethinking his approach when he catches the quick looks of disbelief and pain flash across the man's face. Kusanagi's his friend too after all, he should have expected his plan to have some kind of effect on him too but he's been too caught up in himself too think about Yusaku's point of view let alone anyone else's.

He sighs, “I- Alright I let him look, if only because I can't put you through anymore of this.” He locks eyes with Yusaku as he says it but he doesn't want the vendor to keep having to deal with everyone else's madness either. The poor guy has been through enough with his brother alone. The added stress of looking after them might just give him a heart attack. Poor guy.

“You know what, I'll ask about all this later. For now I want to know how you ended up here? You refused to tell us what was wrong with you,” Kusanagi asks, trying to find an easier place for them to start.

“Hahanaki..,” Yusaku answers sheepishly. Amused by the awkwardness Ai gives him a teasing poke in the side. If the slightly annoyed glance he gets is any indication of what things will be like he's going to enjoy messing with him.

“Oh,” Kusaangi replies, seeming out of place.

Yusaku shakes his head and points at the other empty chair on the other side of the bed. “Yeah, it's a messy situation all around. I-we're still working things out but I should be fine for the time being. At least I should be right?”

“Yes,” Ai pouts but flashes him a quick grin at how easy it is for them to fall back into their usual routine. Even if it is about them joking about a potentially bleak future for either one or both of them.

The room door creaks open revealing a nursing wheeling in a wheelchair. “Sorry if I'm interrupting something but it's time for me to our patient for some tests if you don't mind.”

“It's fine we can put this on hold for now,” Yusaku replies and Kusanagi nodes in agreement before moving out of the way.

“Alright let's get you in the chair and,” The nurse says, helping Yusaku out of bed into the chair. “I'll have him back to you in no time.” He smiles at them as he wheels him out of the room.

“Ai,” Kusanagi says after a minute of silence between them.

“Yes?” Ai asks, pulling his legs up. wrapping his limbs up tightly. With Yusaku out of the room, he doesn't have someone else to mediate for him. How does he begin to explain this to the man? Especially with him radiating the expectation of an answer. Hell he doesn't know what's going on anymore then he does! Ai just wants to go back to laying in bed with Yusaku in peace.

“What now?” As if right on cue Kusanagi asks exactly what he assumed he would.

“I don't know. I don't want to hurt him anymore, but I also don't want those futures to come true. Argh! What am I supposed to do?!” Ai shrieks tugging at his hair. The Soltis can't cry, but it can mimic the same distressed actions a human can do. Honestly, it doesn't help at all though it's just another annoying sensor.

“How about this. I go grab my laptop from the truck and you can start from the beginning before we can go from there okay? Kusanagi sounds every bit as uncomfortable as he feels. He doesn't reply and the man sighs.

“Alright I'll be back” Before looking back to make sure Ai heard him.

Ai huddles into a tight ball wishing he could slip back into his real form so he didn't have to deal with the stress. They've got a long road ahead of them, and he's not looking forward to it. The door clicks shut again not long after that.

**Author's Note:**

> aggravating as spellcheck is this would be illegible without it lol but if spelt hahanaki wrong blame them 
> 
> ttyl


End file.
